The United States on Friday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza.
The United States on Friday vetoed a Security Council resolution calling for a “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza, despite pressure from the Secretary General who denounced the “collective punishment” inflicted on the Palestinians.
The draft resolution which received 13 votes in favor, one against (United States) and one abstention (United Kingdom) was prepared by the United Arab Emirates after Antonio Guterres’ unprecedented invocation of Article 99 of the Charter of Nations on Wednesdayunited allowing the Secretary General to draw the attention of the Council to a file which “could endanger the maintenance of international peace and security.”
But the Americans, allies of Israel who on Friday vetoed for the 35th time since 1970 a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian issue (out of 39 in total), repeated on Friday their hostility to a cease-fire.
Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood also denounced the “moral failure” of the absence in the text condemning the Hamas attacks of October 7.
For his part, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan thanked the United States for “stay firmly by our side”believing that a ceasefire would only be possible through “destruction of Hamas”.
“We will not give up”assured the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour.
The draft resolution, supported by nearly 100 countries, demanded “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire”the release of hostages and humanitarian access.
“As the crisis in Gaza worsens and threatens to spread, (the Council) fails to live up to the fundamental mission entrusted to it by the Charter”, declared French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière. A disappointment shared by many members of the Council.
“Our American colleagues have sentenced thousands, if not tens of thousands, of additional Palestinian and Israeli civilians to death before our eyes.”added Russian deputy ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy.
“Accomplices”
Despite the Council’s vote, Antonio Guterres “remains determined to push for a humanitarian ceasefire”its spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told AFP.
The Secretary General had on Friday morning strongly called on the Council to act to avoid“total collapse of public order” in the Gaza Strip.
“I condemn without reservation” the Hamas attacks of October 7, but “the violence perpetrated by Hamas cannot in any way justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people”did he declare.
In Washington, the foreign ministers of several Arab countries and Turkey also called for an end “immediate” of the war.
After the unprecedented attack against Israel carried out on October 7 by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which according to the Israeli authorities left around 1,200 dead, mainly civilians, Israel imposed a “complete seat” and massively shelled the Gaza Strip, reducing large areas to rubble.
Food, water, fuel and medicine are only arriving in trickles, while around 1.9 million people, or 85% of the population, have had to leave their homes according to the UN since the start of hostilities. , which left more than 17,000 dead according to the Hamas Ministry of Health.
Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, this is the fifth draft resolution rejected by the Council widely divided for years on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Four projects had already been rejected in the weeks following October 7, due to lack of sufficient votes, or due to Russian, Chinese or American vetoes. The Council finally broke its silence in mid-November, succeeding in adopting a resolution which called for “humanitarian breaks and corridors” in the Gaza Strip, not to a “ceasefire” nor even one “truce”.
